title: A ruthenium(II) polypyridyl complex for direct imaging of DNA structure in living cells.
abstract: In the search for new biological imaging agents, metal coordination compounds able to emit from triplet metal-to-ligand charge transfer (MLCT) states offer many advantages as luminescent probes of DNA structure. However, poor cellular uptake restricts their use in live cells. Here, we present a dinuclear ruthenium(II) polypyridyl system that works as a multifunctional biological imaging agent staining the DNA of eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells for both luminescence and transition electron microscopy. This MLCT 'light switch' complex directly images nuclear DNA of living cells without requiring prior membrane permeabilization. Furthermore, inhibition and transmission electron microscopy studies show this to be via a non-endocytotic, but temperature-dependent, mechanism of cellular uptake in MCF-7 cells, and confocal microscopy reveals multiple emission peaks that function as markers for cellular DNA structure.
authors.affiliation: Department of Chemistry, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: Martin R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: Gill
authors.forename: Jorge
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Garcia-Lara
authors.forename: Simon J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Foster
authors.forename: Carl
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Smythe
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Battaglia
authors.forename: Jim A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D001692:Biological Transport; D045744:Cell Line, Tumor; D002470:Cell Survival; D004247:DNA / Q000737:chemistry*; D006801:Humans; D057054:Molecular Imaging / Q000379:methods*; D009942:Organometallic Compounds / Q000737:chemistry* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000633:toxicity; D011725:Pyridines / Q000737:chemistry*; D012428:Ruthenium / Q000737:chemistry*
chemical_list: D009942:Organometallic Compounds; D011725:Pyridines; D012428:Ruthenium; D004247:DNA; C023666:pyridine